US deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia as AU expresses interest in investigating atrocities in Tigray.

U.S. President Joe Biden is deeply concerned and highly engaged on the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday. Also the AU expresses interest in investigating atrocities in Tigray.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday also broached the issue that Eritrean forces in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region must withdraw, saying the situation is unacceptable and must change. “We need to get an independent investigation into what took place there, and we need some kind of process, a reconciliation process so that the country can move forward,” Blinken told a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing

Though many analysts are of the opinion that AU is no longer needed, AU had full mandate but lost it. Faki himself licensed the war at the IGAD. Now It’s Abiy’s plea to draw the case back from the UN and US to AU and save Abiy. The Ethiopia Prime Minister cannot be allowed (in the pretext of AU) to investigate his own crime. Some analysts argued.

But in the meantime, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat released a notice that AU has met with Ato Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia today, 11 March 2021, to discuss the modalities of engagement of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) in the investigation of alleged human rights violations in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

In the publication seen by NCMP, the principle of the investigation was proposed by H.E Dr. Abiy Ahmed, and AU welcomed the readiness of Ethiopian Government to cooperate with the African Union’s Treaty Body.

The Chairperson expressed his appreciation to the Government of Ethiopia for its openness to engage with the African Union and stated his confidence that the ACHPR will deliver on this important task.